White Ribbon
by Xescay
Summary: As the Sheep Festival draws nearer, Edward begins to spend more time with Winry than with Crystal, his girlfriend. What are they doing? And why is he asking to meet her before the day is out? OC x Edward.


Yay~ My frist FMA fanfic~

Crystal is FullMetalWing's OC. This was written as a commission for her.

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><p>The sun shone high above the world, showering the land below with its warm light. The grassy fields swayed to the rhythm of the breeze, creating a seemingly never-ending emerald carpet upon the gentle hills of the countryside. Nestled in this wondrous place was the little town of Resembool. Renowned for its fine wool, it was Ed and Al's current destination. Accompanying them was a young woman of fifteen by the name of Crystal Hoplyne. She had long chestnut hair, which was tied up in a ponytail. Her deep sapphire eyes were full of light and joy. A content smile adorned her features as she breathed in the pure countryside air.<p>

"Ed, this place is wonderful!" she sighed deeply. "I want to stay here forever."

"Come on, Chirst. Resembool's just ahead," Edward said. Still, the girl refused to budge – she was in yet another one of her daydreams.

"And," he added, "when we get there, we'll go down to the store and buy some candy for you."

The girl spun to face him. "Are you serious? Candy? Just you wait, Resembool. I, Crystal Hoplyne, have come to buy all the candy you have!"

With that said, she began to run up the road that would take them to Resembool, laughing as she relished the feel of the wind rushing against her. Edward sighed as he watched her antics.

"What _am_ I going to do with you?" he smiled helplessly.

* * *

><p>Resembool was a beautiful quaint little town. The streets were made of cobblestones and the houses were all straw thatched cottages. The town had a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere about it.<p>

"Wow," Crystal stopped outside a candy store and gazed almost adoringly at the beautiful brightly coloured treats inside. She inched closer and closer to the door, occasionally turning around and checking if a certain blond shortie had come to separate her from her beloved candy. Finally, she lunged into the room. "I'll have one of each please, mister!"

"Where the hell is that girl?" Edward grumbled. It'd been at least half an hour since the two brothers had returned to their hometown, and they were eager to meet up with Winry, but they were currently missing one of their group members.

"Maybe she saw a candy store and got distracted," Alphonse said.

"Probably," Edward commented. He was _so_ going to kill Crystal when he got his hands on her.

"Ed! Al!" a cheery-looking blonde lady approached the duo. There was a large smile on her face.

"Win-!" Ed and Al were pulled into a suffocating bear hug.

"I missed you guys! How are you?" Winry asked. She either didn't notice the strange choking sounds Ed was emitting, or she was ignoring them. Ed decided the latter was the case, and tried to wriggle out of the embrace.

"Hm, I heard Ed here somewhere…" a head peeked out from behind a building. Sapphire eyes lit up. "Ah, Ed, that's where you were!"

Crystal walked out from behind the building and sauntered to the trio. In one hand she had a brown paper bag that smelt suspiciously of lollies. In the other hand, she held a lollypop to her mouth.

"Who's this?" Winry asked.

"Winry, meet Crystal. Cryst, this is Winry, a friend of mine from when I was little," Edward introduced the two ladies to one another.

"I'm also Ed's girlfriend," Crystal added.

"You better treat Edward well," Winry said, "or else…" The unspoken threat was left hanging in the still air. "Anyway, let's go home! There's heaps we have to catch up on! Say, are you guys going to stay for the Sheep Festival?"

As they walked up the meandering path to the picturesque cottage on the gentle green slope just outside of town, Crystal listened in to Winry and Edward's conversation. She couldn't help but feel her heart throb painfully. There was so much she didn't know about Edward that Winry knew. She loved Edward. Truly, she did. She loved him so much that she could barely breathe when she was in his presence, but… But what if the perfect girl for him wasn't her, but rather, the blonde beauty who had known him since childhood?

* * *

><p>Days melted together, and soon, a month had passed. For Crystal, it had been agony. Every day, it was the same routine, over and over and over again – wake up, put on a mask of happiness, and then go about doing whatever it was that she had to do. Every day, she saw Ed talking and smiling whenever he was with Winry. The part that scared her the most, however, was the fact that she was doubting what the blond man had said when he had professed his love to her. Every day was spent wondering what the duo did in their free time. Did they take strolls together? Did they have lunch together? Wasn't Edward <em>her<em> girlfriend? Why was he spending more time with Winry than with her? Whenever she thought of the blonde girl, she felt a twinge of something painful go through her. She wanted to stop the other girl from stealing Edward away from her, but… But what if it was already too late? The cool night breeze caressed her form, as if it were trying to comfort her, even despite its coolness and lack of body.

"Crystal?" Edward's voice reached her ears. "Crystal, where are you?"

"Here," Crystal called out. She waved her arm above her head. "Here!"

"Come up here, Cryst. We're going down to town," Ed said.

"Ok," Crystal got up. Maybe she was just being paranoid. She hoped it was just her being paranoid. "Gimme a sec…"

The quaint little town, which had originally been rather plain, seemed as if it had been transformed. What had once been a dull and undecorated town had suddenly morphed into a beautiful village with streets adorned by strings of paper lamps and sheep-shaped ornaments. On the side of the cobbled streets were little stalls set up by various villagers. Some sold wool, and others food, but the theme of this festival was clear – sheep.

"Ed, what's going on?" Crystal turned around to ask her boyfriend, only to find that he had disappeared… Along with Winry.

"Cryst, this is the Sheep Festival, which is celebrated on the first day of spring. It goes on during the day, but it's most beautiful at night, when the lamps are on," Alphonse informed the brunette girl.

"Ah, I see," was Crystal's distant reply. _Why isn't he here? Isn't this a special day? Why has he gone with Winry instead of me? Does her really like her better than he likes me?_ Crystal's mind was racing with a million thoughts. She felt as if there was a tornado within her mind, pulling up her thoughts and flinging them about. _Where is Edward?_

The night wore on. It was getting late, but still, the atmosphere was filled with excitement, and Crystal could not quite bring herself to go home just yet. In her hands were candy – as per norm – but she didn't feel like eating them. She frowned. Why did she feel this way, like there was some kind of empty hole in her that had previously been filled? Why was it that what had once brought her simple joy now held nothing for her? What was that strange feeling that was welling up inside of her? Why did it twist her up, and make her feel like she hated Winry? What was the name for it? Fear? Hatred? She shook her head. No, it was jealousy, wasn't it? She was jealous of Winry. The brunette girl stood up. Well, there was no use in sitting here and brooding. She might as well enjoy this festival while it lasted.

"Cryst! Crystal!" Alphonse ran toward the older lady. "Cryst, I've been looking all over for you."

Crystal turned, "Hi, Al. What's that in your hand?" She pointed to the envelope he had clenched in his fist. "Is it from a lover or something?"

"A lover? No, it's from Ed, for you," Al held out the letter for Crystal to take. "I don't know what it says, only that I needed to give it to you before the day ended. He said that it was really important, too."

Tentatively, the young woman took the proffered envelope. Gingerly, she opened it and slipped the letter out of the delicate envelope. Slowly, she unfolded the piece of paper and read it.

_Dearest Crystal,_

_Please meet me at the tree on the hill just outside the Rockbells' residence before the end of the day._

_I have something very important I want to tell you._

_I'll be waiting for you._

_Ever loving,_

_Ed._

"'I have something very important to tell you'?" Crystal whispered. What sort of 'something very important'? Was he going to dump her in favour of Winry? Or was he going to pledge his eternal love to her, and ask for her hand in marriage? What if he said neither, and it was a joke? No, Ed wasn't the type to joke like that. Should she go?

"Aren't you going to go?" Al's voice interrupted her train of thought. "He asked you to meet him somewhere, didn't he? Are you just going to let him wait for you until he goes back home?"

Crystal hesitated. She had considered that, but… She wanted to know what he was going to do, what he was going to say.

"Of course not!" Crystal smiled. "There's no way I'd ever do that to my boyfriend."

She took off in the direction of the Rockbell residence. She was going to keep hoping that he still loved her, right until the very end. _I might have said what I said earlier, but… How much longer will he continue to be my boyfriend? _

* * *

><p>The stars winked in the navy canvas of the nighttime sky. The moon's face was round and bright, and illuminated Crystal's way for her. There! She'd found the silhouette of the tree on the hill. She increased her pace. He'd asked her to come before the end of the day, but when she took out her pocketwatch, she discovered that both the hour hand and the minute hand were drifting dangerously close to twelve. She wished time would stand still, even if it were for only a moment, for the day was coming to a close. If she did not get to the place Ed had asked her to go to, then she would lose her chance to hear whatever it was that Edward wanted to share with her. Her running slowed to a walk. What if he was going to dump her? If something like that was going to happen, then why was she getting so excited about getting to the hill? She shook her head. There was no guarantee of what he was going to say, but she wanted to hear him out anyway, even if it would end up with her having a broken heart. Her pace quickened again. There were only a few minutes left, now.<p>

Five minutes left. Her feet pounded the ground. She felt as if her heart was beating so hard it would somehow come out of her chest if she did not stop and rest. She didn't stop.

Four minutes. Her lungs burned. Why did she have to be on the opposite side of town earlier?

Three minutes. Please wait for me, Ed…

Two minutes. Nearly there, Cryst! Never mind the pain in your arms and legs. Never mind the burning in your lungs. You're almost there!

One minute. Please, let me make it in time… She was going up the hill now. Why was the hill so big?

Half a minute. Is that a human shilhouette up there?

"Let's go," a disappointed voice said. No! Don't go! I'm almost there!

Ten seconds. There was still half the hill to go. She needed to rest. She needed to stop, and catch her breath, but she could not stop now. Not now, when she was so close to him.

"No, let's wait here a little while longer. I think she'll come."

Nine… Eight… Seven… Six…

"If you say so…"

Five… Four…

"Is that Cryst over there?"

Three… Two…

"I think it is."

One.

"Hi, everyone! Did I miss anything?" She'd finally reached the top! Her breath came in short, pained pants, and her legs hurt like hell, but she's reached the top, and she'd managed to come just in time.

"Cryst! I thought you weren't going to come!" Edward turned to face the brunette girl.

"Of course I'd come," Crystal said. "So, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

Edward took out a simple white ribbon from his pocket.

"According to legend here, if a guy gives his girl a white ribbon and ties it in her hair on the first day of spring – on the day of the Festival of the Sheep – then they are both fated to find happiness together," Ed fiddled with the ribbon as he spoke. "So, will you let me tie this in your hair?"

So _this _was the 'important thing' he had to say? Crystal was, for once, lost for words.

"Yes," she whispered. This moment felt so sacred and fragile. She feared that she would destroy the magic moment. "Yes."

Edward walked toward the quietened brunette. He took her hair into his hands and braided it, then tied it with the ribbon.

"You look beautiful," he murmured. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ed," Crystal breathed back.

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><p>~THE NEXT MORNING~<p>

"So, where _were _you, Edward?" Crystal asked as she snuggled closer to her boyfriend.

"Well, uh, how to put this…"

He was _cheating_ on her?

"It's a secret," Ed said.

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><p>Please R&amp;R. If you are interested in getting a commission from me, please visit .comjournal/Point-Commisions-EDIT-278952229. Thank you.


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